Liberace Had His Teen Lover Undergo Plastic Surgery To Look Like His Son

With the recent release of HBO’s film Behind the Candelabra, which is based on the autobiography of Liberace’s long-time lover, Scott Thorson, we all get a glimpse into the infamous Liberace’s freaky world of sex, drugs, loads of money and some pretty creepy plastic surgery. Thorson was 40 years Liberace’s junior when the two began their controversial relationship in the 70s, and the pianist and vocalist’s obsession with youth didn’t end there. Clearly, Liberace wanted the 18-year-old Thorson to be more than just his boy toy; he wanted him to be his son as well, and so he commissioned a plastic surgeon to make Thorson look like Liberace did as a young man, based on an oil painting of himself Liberace had hanging in his Las Vegas mansion. Thorson ended up with a nose job, a chin implant and enhanced cheekbones.

Liberace and Scott Thorson before plastic surgery to make them twinsies:

Liberace’s reason for making Thorson undergo plastic surgery was that he wanted his “blond Adonis” to resemble him, because he had considered adopting the young man. “He wanted me as his son. But at the same time, he wanted me as his lover,” Thorson recalls about the disturbing father/son/lover relationship between the two. Thorson wasn’t the only one of the two to undergo plastic surgery though. After seeing himself in an interview on The Tonight Show in 1979, Liberace decided that he looked like his “father in drag” and desperately needed plastic surgery. The plastic surgeon that performed Thorson’s creepy surgical makeover first gave Liberace a face lift, and lift it he did! The procedure left Liberace’s face so tight he couldn’t close his eyes, even when he was sleeping, but Thorson said it made him look 20 years younger, so apparently it was worth it.

The plastic surgeon who operated on both Liberace and Thorson, Jack Startz, clearly had no right to be practicing, considering he was previously admitted to rehab for a drug addiction and even drank alcohol while performing Liberace’s face lift. Before transforming Thorson’s face, Startz told the young man that he needed to lose a few pounds, writing him prescriptions for pharmaceutical cocaine and amphetamines, which Thorson says eventually led to his life-long drug addiction. Startz’s questionable medical practices were compounded by his financial struggles and increasing concerns about the safety and efficacy of his silicone injections. A broke, drunk, drug-addicted plastic surgeon who isn’t sure his product is safe or effective – just the kind of plastic surgeon you want working on your face, right?

Liberace before and after facelift that left him unable to close his eyes:

For those who judge him because of his checkered history with Liberace, Thorson has this to say: “Liberace had taken me out of a situation with a father who was very abusive, a mother who was mentally ill. I did everything I possibly could to please this man.” This included being forced into getting plastic surgery to look more like the man who was both his father figure and his lover. Hmm…that also sounds a bit like abuse and mental illness to us!

Liberace’s flamboyant life came to and end in 1987, when he died of complications of AIDS at the age of 67. Scott on the other hand has continued to lead a checkered life of drugs, plastic surgery and jail. Most recently Scott was bailed out of jail by brothel owner Dennis Hof, where he was awaiting sentencing for theft and stolen credit card charges. After being released from jail, Dennis put Scott up at his famous brothel The Moonlite Bunny Ranch, and one of his working girls even paid for Scott to have Botox injections.